With the Senior Bowl two weeks in the rearview mirror, we are starting to see which prospects are rising and falling. When it comes to the biggest risters, four of them carry some implications for the Denver Broncos.
In recent weeks, these four prospects have begun to get mocked higher in the draft. Grinding The Mocks is a site that collects mock draft data from credible sources around the web and uses those to create their EDP (expected draft position) for each prospect. On Tuesday, Grinding The Mocks highlighted four big risers based on its EDP.
- Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
- Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
- Azareye'h Thomas, CB, FSU
- Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
These four prospects each could be in play for the Broncos for different reasons, which makes their respective rise noteworthy. The most notable is Arroyo, who went from being viewed as a late Round 6 prospect before the Senior Bowl to 27th overall in EDP afterward. His jump isn’t only from the Senior Bowl, but as more analysts did their work on him and saw his talent, he skyrocketed, with many viewing him as a second or third-round talent.
With an outstanding week at the Senior Bowl, it isn’t surprising to see Arroyo moving up. There's been some buzz among draft analysts that he could even end up hearing his name called before Michigan's Colston Loveland in the draft. Loveland has been a popular pick for the Broncos in the first round and carried an EDP of 21.5.
Either way, the implications for the Broncos are easy to see. Arroyo could end up being a legitimate option for the Broncos at 20, or he could surpass Loveland. That would push Loveland down the board, making him more of an option for the Broncos.
Alexander is another riser who has steadily climbed up boards over the past month and is now carrying the 32.8 EDP, which is fourth among interior defensive linemen. Many felt Alexander could be an option for the Broncos at No. 51 overall in Round 2 to help cover the potential loss of D.J. Jones this offseason and hedge against the future with Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, and Malcolm Roach all entering a contract year.
Interior defensive linemen take about two to three years before emerging as a player in the NFL, and Alexander could sit behind the talent the Broncos have for a year before competing to start in 2026. However, now that he is moving up, if the Broncos want him, they may have to explore taking him at No. 20 overall, trading down from 20, or moving up from 51.
With the way Alexander plays, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land with the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles at No. 32 overall to replace Milton Williams, who is set to be a free agent and is an option the Broncos could target.
Meanwhile, Thomas had been viewed as a second or third-round pick prior to the Senior Bowl. While the Broncos don’t have a major need at corner, he would be a great fit for the scheme with his play in press-man coverage, where the Broncos had so much success last season.
Thomas has now risen to be viewed as a first-round player with an EDP of 29.7, and he'd make sense for multiple teams picking in the late first and early second. But, of the four players, Thomas’ rise is the one that impacts the Broncos the least.
The last player is Schwesinger. He was supposed to be at the Senior Bowl but pulled out. His rise shows that these pre-draft stock reports aren't simply restricted to the Senior Bowl. People are getting around to studying him, and he's rising due to the wider exposure to his play on tape.
Two weeks ago, Schwesinger was considered a good option for the Broncos in the third or fourth round. He's now the second linebacker in the class with an EDP of 45.2, which casts doubt on whether he'd even be there for the Broncos at No. 51 overall.
For a team that wants to improve in the middle and upgrade its linebacker room, Schwesinger would make a lot of sense for the Broncos. He's a good athlete with great instincts and football IQ.
Schwesinger's play stands out in all phases, and he could become one of the better linebackers in the NFL with the way the modern game has developed. He'd be a great fit for the Broncos, but they may have to move up from No. 51 if they really want him.
The Takeaway
Three weeks ago, one could reasonably predict these three prospects as the Broncos' first three picks in the draft, Rounds 1-3. Now, not so much.
With how they've moved up draft boards, the Broncos could still land one of them, maybe two, if they move around the board. The domino effect of these four rapid rises is likely to shake things up for the Broncos, but it remains to be seen whether that's for the better or worse.
